Nancy Guthrie case: FBI rules out that hair found at scene points to suspect

The FBI ruled out the possibility that the hair found at Nancy Guthrie's home in Tucson, Arizona, is linked to any suspect in her disappearance, as confirmed by federal officials on Thursday, six months after the mother of  the TODAY show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie was reported missing.

The FBI's Phoenix field office stated in a brief press release, cited by NBC News, that "all hair had been resolved and it does not point to a suspect" in the investigation, though it declined to provide further details.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos had previously told Fox News Digital that the hair sample recovered from the home did not yield a DNA profile. "Yes, there was a hair. We had it and thought, 'OK, well, we'll do the DNA first,' right? You're going to do DNA before something else," said the sheriff, who explained that the sample was sent to a laboratory in California in collaboration with the FBI. "It came back ... there's no DNA," he continued, though he clarified that this does not completely rule out the possibility that the hair belongs to the suspect: "We won't know that till we have the suspect's hair. You don't just destroy it."

Speaking to NBC News, Nanos elaborated on the technical explanation behind the result: "To find DNA on hair is extremely rare. Hair doesn't produce DNA like touch DNA or bodily fluids."

The hair is just one part of the ongoing genetic analysis, according to the sheriff himself, who did not specify how many other samples are being processed by multiple forensic laboratories in collaboration with the FBI. Among the active lines of investigation is also genetic genealogy, a technique that allows investigators to generate leads based on family trees.

Federal authorities have described the case as a kidnapping for ransom. The FBI reported on July 1 that it had received several ransom notes from Guthrie's disappearance, which occurred on February 1; some were considered potentially legitimate, while others were classified as baseless extortion attempts. The agency said it continues to investigate some of those demands, and the Pima County Sheriff's Department reiterated on Thursday that the investigation remains active.

Despite the lack of concrete progress in identifying a suspect, Nanos expressed optimism about the case's outcome. "That's really where some of my optimism is, that I just know that we're gonna get this thing resolved," he told Fox News Digital. The sheriff also issued a direct appeal to potential witnesses: "We believe, just as the family does, just as Savannah does, somebody knows something. We need that person to call us."

There is a combined reward of more than $1.2 million that remains unclaimed. The only suspect captured so far by the home's doorbell camera is between 1.75 and 1.78 meters tall, of medium build, and was seen wearing a mask, long sleeves, gloves, and a black Ozark Trail backpack, according to the FBI.

On Monday, via Instagram, Savannah Guthrie once again publicly urged whoever kidnapped her mother to reveal her whereabouts. The family is asking anyone with information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI, while the anonymous reward can be claimed by calling 520-88-CRIME.